Symptom 7. Misplacing Things and Losing the Ability to Retrace Steps: The Vanishing Trail in Dementia
Dementia can cause changes in the ability to retrace one’s steps. As a result, individuals with dementia might often misplace items and struggle to find them.
In the initial stages, a person with dementia may put things in unusual places. For instance, they might leave their keys in the refrigerator or their glasses in the oven. They may lose items frequently and be unable to retrace their steps to find them.
As the disease progresses, this symptom may worsen. They might start accusing others of stealing, especially when they can’t find their belongings. This behavior usually occurs more frequently over time.
While misplacing things from time to time is a common occurrence for most people, what distinguishes dementia is the inability to retrace steps to locate the misplaced items. If this difficulty becomes persistent and the person starts placing items in increasingly unusual places, it could indicate dementia. (7)
